x
Breaking News
More () »

Glendale Police release body camera video in deadly officer-involved shooting outside Taco Bell

12 News found that Matthew Rasmussen, the man shot and killed, had a prior record and had been ordered to have mental health treatment.

Glendale Police released body camera and dash camera footage from an officer-involved shooting last month.

Police say Matthew Rasmussen, 31, was killed in the incident, which happened outside of a Taco Bell in early November.  

PREVIOUSLY: PD: Officer shot man stabbing at police with surgical tweezers outside Glendale Taco Bell

The newly released video shows the moment Rasmussen was shot. Police say he was taken to the hospital, and later declared dead.

The incident started when police got a call about a man wielding a sharp object inside the Taco Bell at 43rd and Olive avenues on Nov. 4.  

When officers arrived, the man was outside, wearing a cloth over his head and carrying a sharp metal object. The object was later discovered to be a medical tool about 12 inches long.

Police say the first officer on scene, Officer Joshua Anderkin, tried to talk Rasmussen down.

"I want to make this OK for you," Anderkin is heard saying in the video. "I want to get you some help. But I can't do that if you're holding that pipe. I need you to put it down, OK?"

Anderkin kept trying to talk him down as backup arrived. 

Glendale Police said another officer went in to tackle Rasmussen and try and disarm him. That's when police say Rasmussen started stabbing at the officer, and Anderkin ran in and fired his weapon.

RELATED: Suspect hospitalized, no officers hurt in shooting in west Phoenix parking lot

"He just wouldn't obey commands," Anderkin explained later in the video. "He wasn't acknowledging, wasn't talking, wasn't doing anything."

This wasn't Rasmussen's first encounter with police. He has records with Phoenix and Glendale Police. 

Court documents from July 2019 show that in another case, a Maricopa County judge found Rasmussen "criminally incompetent" and that "without immediate or continued hospitalization," Rasmussen could hurt himself or others "prior to evaluation and further hearing."

RELATED: Dashcam video shows moments leading up to fatal trooper-involved shooting

Rasmussen was ordered to Desert Vista Behavioral Health Center. It's not clear how long he was there or how he was treated, but what is clear is that he was back out on the streets by September, when he was arrested by Phoenix Police. 

He was arrested again in October for trespassing, before he found himself at the Taco Bell in Glendale in November.

Glendale Police say they are still investigating the officer-involved shooting.

They say Anderkin was on leave for three days after the incident, per protocol and is now back on active duty.

Before You Leave, Check This Out